Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a medical diagnostic ultrasound scanner. More particularly, certain embodiments relate to a method and apparatus for monitoring system event data within an ultrasound scanner and acquiring the system event data at a remote location using programs that provide cross-platform/server interoperability.
Ultrasound scanners to detect faults, problems, and general status within the scanner are well established. Ultrasound scanners typically comprise different hardware and software implementations that perform various operations such as scan data collection and scan data conversion. There are different software diagnostic tests that perform routine troubleshooting of the hardware assemblies. Other tests provide data on software functioning and general scanner status by logging the data in files. The diagnostic software tests are resident on the scanner and may be operated by a person having direct access to the console of the scanner. However, the tests are not always accessible remotely, that is, from a remote computer through a connection to, for example, a network through a modem. Also, system event data such as probe usage and exam start and end times are not collected.
Other scanners provide remote access through, for example, a VT-100 based remote interface or a common gateway interface (CGI) used for performing various remote services. The interfaces are dependent on specific software and hardware configurations and are not always optimized in terms of performance as the software platform is changed or upgraded. To improve the performance, a new interface that is consistent with the latest software platform would have to be designed.
Also, system event data is not captured and made available over a network to a remote location in the prior art. System events include exam start and end times, active mode time, active probes used during an exam, calculations made during an exam, and other events. System event data may be used to assess various productivity aspects and ultrasound usage.
For example, a method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,823 to Wood et al. describes using common gateway interface (CGI) programs to access ultrasound images and diagnostic data. A method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,035 to Wood et al. describes accessing images and information from internal and external databases by means of a browser within an ultrasound system and connecting the browser to a network. A method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,186 to Wood et al. describes electronically acquiring a diagnostic ultrasound image over a communications network such that an ultrasound system has a server. A method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,551 B1 to Mullen describes storing ultrasound image data in a database storage device and using an internet protocol. A method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,469 B1 to Koritzinksy et al. describes downloading operational protocols to diagnostic machines from a remote location over a network.
The well-established Internet enables computers at one location to communicate with computers at other locations. The technique of packet switching is typically used to transfer data from one computer to another over the Internet. Information from one user of a network is sent to another user of the network by breaking the information up into discrete units of digital information called packets. Packets of information are transferred across the network by high-speed routers that seek out a network route from one point to another in the network. At a destination point in the network, packets are received and reassembled to re-institute the originally sent message of information.
Transferring information via packets allows a network to accommodate many messages at a time by interleaving packets originating from different locations. Many computers may operate on a network at the same time and may transfer information quickly across the network in the form of packets. The higher cost of a dedicated communication path is avoided. However, as the number of users of the network increase, the larger number of messages being sent may result in a longer amount of time being required to transfer all of the packets in any given message over the network to its destination. But enhancements in computer technology and performance over time allow higher volumes of information to be transferred across a network at faster rates.
The Internet comprises multiple networks that allows for the transfer of information among many users who are linked into the network. To facilitate the transfer of information across the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW) was created to be used as a high-level user interface to the Internet. A distributed menu system is provided by the WWW where menu pages are displayed such that a user may request information from another system on the Internet. The WWW provides the ability for a user to hop from one web site of information to another by way of displayed hypertext links. A hypertext link allows a user to click on a hypertext component, transferring to a web page associated with that hypertext component, regardless of where the web page is actually located or hosted. A user may download information from the web page and/or go on to another or previous web page in a similar manner. By employing hypertext linking, a user may rapidly link to the desired information on the WWW for which he is searching. Information received from a given web site may be formatted as text, images, graphics, video, and audio.
By incorporating a standard server into an ultrasound machine, the power of the Internet may be employed to access system event data generated by the ultrasound scanner. Accessing system event data as described herein has not been previously accomplished in ultrasound scanners.
A need exists to monitor and acquire system event data of ultrasound scanners, transfer the data to a remotely located support center, and format the system event data such that the system event data may be displayed to an operator and/or provided to a customer. A need also exists for the monitoring and acquisition components to provide cross-platform/server interoperability such that they may be used on multi-generational products.
An embodiment of the present invention provides for monitoring system events in multiple ultrasound scanners of differing platform types, acquiring system event data of the ultrasound scanners, and transferring the system event data to a remote location by applying a data mining module and log viewer component in each scanner acting as an interface between a control section of the scanners and a web server within the scanners. The data mining module and log viewer component provide cross-platform/server interoperability and may be used on multi-generational products. As used herein, cross-platform/server interoperability means capable of being interfaced to scanners having different operating system and hardware on which the programs are being run. The system event data is transferred to a remote location over a network by communicating with the web servers of the ultrasound scanners over the network. The data mining module monitors system events within the scanners during normal operation of the scanners and generates system event data stored in log files. The log viewer component translates the system event data in the log files to the web servers and the web servers transfer the information to the remote location over the network at regular, pre-defined time intervals. The system event data is formatted such that the system event data may be displayed to an operator and/or provided to a customer for each scanner.
Apparatus is provided for monitoring system events of multiple ultrasound scanners of differing platform types, acquiring system event data from the scanners, and transferring the system event data to a remote location by employing a log viewer component and data mining module in each scanner acting as an interface between a control processing module within the scanners and a web server within the scanners. The log viewer component and data mining module provide cross-platform/server interoperability and may be used on multi-generational products. An automated support center that is remote to the scanners interfaces to the web servers of the scanners over a network. A remote computer within the automated support center has a web browser to communicate with the web servers within the scanners over the network. The data mining module within each scanner monitors the scanners for system events and records system event data in log files within the scanners. The log viewer translates the system event data in the log files to the web servers and the web servers transfer the system event data to the automated support center over the network at regular, pre-defined time intervals. The system event data is formatted such that the system event data may be displayed to an operator and/or provided to a customer for each scanner.
A method is also provided to monitor system events in multiple ultrasound scanners of differing platform types, acquire system event data of the ultrasound scanners, and transfer the system event data to a remote location by applying a data mining module and log viewer component in each scanner acting as an interface between the control processing within the scanners and a web server within the scanners. The data mining module and log viewer component provide cross-platform/server interoperability and may be used on multi-generational products. The web servers of the scanners interface to a remote location. System event data is transferred to the remote location by communicating with the web servers within the scanners. The data mining module monitors the system events in the scanners and records the system event data in log files. The log viewer component translates the log files to the web servers and the web servers transfer the system event data to the remote location at regular, pre-defined time intervals. The system event data is formatted such that the system event data may be displayed to an operator and/or provided to a customer for each scanner.
Certain embodiments of the present invention afford an approach to monitor and acquire system event data of multiple ultrasound scanners and transfer the data to a remotely located support center such that the monitoring/acquisition programs provide cross-platform/server interoperability and may be used on multi-generational products.